Human Limitation's
by DarkStarEmerging
Summary: Sequel to Being Human. The Mushroom Kingdom has fallen - Bowser reigns supreme. Can one plumber and an eccentric Beanbean kid scientist stand up to his tyrannical reign? PostBowser'sInsideStory. CHAPTER TEN IMPROVED!
1. Where We Left Off

**Heya guys! Yup, I'm back with a sequel to _Being Human_!**

**...Don't look at me like that. I planned this out alongside _Being Human_, so don't think I'm rushing here!**

**In...actual fact, this stroy appeared first, but it seemed not to fit into the game's ending. So _Being Human _was born. This story was going to be the original, but it turned out into a sequel. So...I am going to write a chappy of this (I love the word 'chappy' XD) then go and write a chappy of _Yoob's Revenge_. Which I have deleted all the chapter's of. You know what? I'm gonna make it into a new story. As there is only one chapter at the moment. It's still gonna be called the same, though...**

**Anyway, back to this story! We are picking up _exactly_ where we left off from _Being Human_ (ok, maybe an hour into the future, but that's about all!). Go read it before this. You'll get the stroy better and understand why the Mushroom Kingdom is in such a state.**

**Anyway, enough blabbering on about stuff...LET'S GET THIS STORY GOING!**

"Do you have the idea of the direction you are heading in?" Fawful asked. Luigi groaned. Fawful hadn't been quiet for a _second_ since they had decided upon a (very sketchy) plan. The younger Mario brother turned round to the psychopathic Beanbean kid scientist.

"Look, I thought you were leading the way?" Luigi asked exasperatedly. Fawful looked affronted; he peered down the path.

"The woods called Dimble are the ultimate confusion," he said (I STILL CAN'T WRITE ENGRISH! AAAGGGHHH!!!). Luigi sighed and sat on a tree stump.

"Well, we are getting _nowhere _fast, and we need to get a move on to outpace Bowser's army..." Luigi paused, remembering Starlow. A lump formed in his throat, and he hastily tried to swallow it. He couldn't, though. He could feel himself welling up.

_Oh, get a grip on yourself! _he thought exasparatedly. But he couldn't. Just thinking of her set off the waterworks. They had been in this godforsaken woods for an hour, and Bowser's army had stopped destroying Toad Town and first had headed to Blubble Lake. Just as Luigi and Fawful had exited the forest there. There had been a tense pause as both parties stared each other down. Then, with a roar, Bowser's army charged, causing Luigi and Fawful to flee. Luigi had picked up Fawful, not listening to his furious protests. Luigi had easily outpaced the army, and they were a good half-hour ahead. But...he had seen Starlow there, _again _with that Dry Bones and Koopa. Just why were they together? Could it be...that she actually had formed some friends in there? Luigi felt proud and a little sickened at the same time when he had realised this. As if _anyone_ could form a relationship with one of Bowser's lot...then again, she had to infiltrate his castle and army. She was bound to make a few friends along the way; it made her job easier. He dimly registered Fawful sighing exasparatedly at his crying.

"Why do you have the initiation of the waterworks?" he asked, a bit of worry creeping into his voice. He immediately chastised himself for it; him, worrying about this fink-rat? Ha! Luckily for him, Luigi was too busy wiping away his tears to notice.

"No reason...come on, we've got to get ahead," Luigi said in a commanding tone, standing upright. They started down the path, but stopped when they heard a rustle in the trees. They looked around warily.

"Probably just a Treevil or something..." Luigi muttered. They continued walking, hesitantly at first, but gradually picking up pace.

Suddenly, Luigi felt an explosive pain in the back of his head as something heavy smashed into it. He heard Fawful groan and assumed he had had the same experience. He felt himself slip into darkness.

_No, not now!_ he thought frantically. He managed to twist around, trying to catch a glimpse of his attacker.

A grinning Dry Bones and a Koopa.

* * *

Luigi woke up groggily, his vision blurred. He had the sensation that he was moving, but wasn't awake enough yet to see how. He noticed someone kneeling in front of him, and he squinted at them, trying to get a better look. The person gasped and quickly stood upright, quickly heading out of his line of sight. Luigi's vision started to clear, and he shook his head to get rid of any fuzziness. He took a quick glance around. He seemed to be in the back of a cart. _Since when...did I get into a cart?_ he thought, unsteadily standing up. He dimly noticed Fawful staring out of the window. Well, not exactly the window - more like a slit in the side of the cart. He heard the clop of hooves, and realised he was in the horse and cart of the Wiggler Family. Fawful looked over at him.

"You have emergence from the nap of peacefulness," was all he said before turning back round to the gap in the side of the cart. Luigi smiled sarcastically at his back.

"Hello to you too," he mouthed at it. He looked out of the slit in the other side of the cart, just in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair streaming out of view. His heart temporarily stopped. _Oh, for GOD'S SAKE!_ he shouted in his mind. _It...may have just been Bowser carrying Peach..._

But he didn't believe that.

The cart rumbled to a stop, causing Luigi to stumble and trip, landing on his front. He dimly registered Fawful snorting, and, growling at him, stood upright, brushing off the front of his overalls. A side door opened, and a Dry Bones and a Koopa entered. The Dry Bones was wielding a hammer not unlike Luigi's, whereas the Koopa had nothing. They leered at the two captives.

"Enjoyed the trip?" the Koopa said, and the Dry Bones sniggered. Luigi's eyes widened.

"You-you two! You were the two that captured us!" he gasped. The Koopa nodded, looking pleased with himself.

"Yup. Bruce and Annabella here," he said, motioning first to himself, then at the Dry Bones. The Dry Bones frowned.

"Bruce. You know to call me Anna," she said softly, raising the hammer up ever-so-slightly. Bruce paled.

"S-sorry, Anna. Forgot in all this," he apologised, sweeping his hand to signify Luigi and Fawful as 'all this'. Anna 'harrumphed' and turned away, twirling her hammer absent mindedly. Luigi allowed himself a brief grin before dropping it. He took a deep breath and sighed...

"So. What am I in for?"

**I expanded this chappy as it was TOO SHORT. Only about 500 words. Which is not a lot. So I decided to put this scene in, which I _was_ going to keep until next chapter but put it in now to expand it.**

**So, REVIEW, PEOPLE! (Age old repertoire there, but y'know...time grows old. And that made no sense whatsoever :)**


	2. Angsty Chappy :P Starlow's Mentality

**Oh joy...yeah, this story is going to be swapping between Starlow's and Luigi's third-person POV's. Since last time, Starlow really has been giving herself a hard time. This chapter will be delving into Starlow's shattered mental state. Oh joy...angst is not a good thing to write...**

**Anyway, on with this...er...I can't really say 'chappy', can I? Bit too OOC for this chapter...I'm assuming OOC means 'Out Of Character'. Wait. The AN is not a character. Why am I being pedantic? Why am I basing this off Zelda in the story 'Twilight Rewrite'? Yeah...I've been reading WAY too much of Zelda's wacked out personality in that story.**

**...**

**ELIPSIS! Gotta stop them. AHEM! Enough of the random ranting. On with this chapter.**

Starlow flipped the blade over, staring at its smooth, shiny surface. She leant back against the cart's wall and sighed, staring into the knife. She didn't recognise her reflection; she wondered how her life could've took this turn. How had fate put her in this situation? For God's sake, she was a _celestial_ being! She used to be a star sprite!

Used to be_ being the key phrase there..._Starlow thought glumly. She was sharing this cart with Anna and Bruce, but they had gone to speak to the two...captives.

Yes. Starlow couldn't bring herself to think of...his name. It brought up too much hurt, which was why she was now looking at a knife. She barely noticed the tears sliding down her face, landing with a slight sound on the knife, splatterring her hands. She looked at the knife itself, at its smooth, crisp surface. Like her heart had been before that fateful battle. Now it was shattered, spread across that grassy knoll before Toad Town. She wrenched her gaze away from the knife and allowed the hand holding it to drop limply to her side. She stared out of the cart, thinking of Luigi. A sob hitched in her throat, but she squashed it back down. She was meant to be locking her emotions away, dammit. She brought a shaking hand up to her face and gently brushed her tears away. She was meant to not allow herself to feel this hurt. But...once it had her, it crushed her mercilessly, making her relive each moment of that battle in detail.

She remembered when she had brought the sword up to his heart. He had stared down at it, then looked back up at her, defiance written across his face. She had stared at him awhile, before looking away and looking to see what had happened between Mario and Bowser. When Bowser killed him, Starlow could feel the green plumber's heart break as he watched also, then they both returned their gazes to each other. Her hand had started shaking then, and she had had to place both hands upon the hilt to stop it.

"Forgive me...for this..." was all she whispered. And in that split-second before she had thrust the sword into him...he had smiled. That smile...it was a warm, genuine, understanding smile. That smile made it easier for Starlow, sick as it sounds. But only for that moment. His hand had trailed up his chest to the sword and along its length, stroking it. He had grasped her hand and sueezed it gently, before keeling over backwards, landing on the floor with a thump. Starlow had to swallow the urge to scream in agony then, the agony of her heart breaking. She (her face going slightly green) had to pull her sword out of him. She would never forget that sound - that sick, squelching sound as she wrenched it out of his broken heart. She had raised it, trembling, to her eyes, staring at his blood. Then, disgusted with herself, she had flung the sword away from herself and flopped onto the floor, sobbing her broken heart out through her eyes. Bowser and his army had trundled on past her, not sparing her a glance. Only Anna and Bruce stayed behind to offer her some consolation, but she had brushed them off, standing upright and brushing her tears away. She had had an idea. Once making sure Anna and Bruce couldn't see her, she took out the 1-Up 'shroom Peach had given her. Then, trying not to be sick, she prised open Luigi's jaw and stuffed the mushroom down his throat. The mushroom would revive him in half an hour, giving her enough time to catch up to the army.

"Goodbye...Luigi..." she had whispered tremulously before running away, unable to look at him a second longer. And when she had seen him revived...her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest at him, wanthing to reunite. But she just smiled at him and mouthed, "Peach's 1-Up,".

Starlow stared at the knife at her side again. Trembling slightly, she brought it up to eye level, staring at the blade in fascination. Then, taking a deep breath, she placed it at her heart. Anna and Bruce entered the cart, chatting excitedly.

"Did you see their faces-OH MY GOD STARLOW!" Anna screamed, rushing to her friend and knocking the knife away. Starlow watched the knife slide across the floor, her face impassive. It reached the edge of the cart and dropped out of sight. Starlow heard it clatter onto the dusty road.

"STARLOW! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Anna shouted at her. Starlow slowly turned to face her, her bottom lip trembling. Then she let out that scream she had been holding onto, flinging herself onto her friend and crying into her shoulder.

The scream of her heart breaking.

**Nyaaagh...loads of things wrong with this chapter. I don't like writing angst, but this was necessary. Second of all, all these chapters are TOO BLOODY SHORT. I need to lengthen them...god...**

**_Anyway_, I promise next chapter will be longer. It is going to kick-start the story into high gear. Oh boy...I hope I don't get labelled as the person who writes stories which don't get going quickly...**

**Ah well. REVIEW, PEOPLE! XD**


	3. In The Dungeon

**YAY! No angst this chapt-oh wait. There is...*skim reads hand-written chapter*...some angst. OH NOEZ! Not a lot, though. And its very heavily disguised. OK, maybe not THAT heavily disguised. But, y'know...**

**ANYWAY. Ahem. Back to Luigi and Fawful.**

Luigi stared out of the 'window' of the cart. He didn't know how long they had been in here - he just knew it was a very long time. He thought back to that stream of blonde hair. Could it have...really belonged to Starlow? He couldn't _believe_ he was that close to her. His hands clenched into fists. If _only_ she hadn't sided with Bowser! They wouldn't be in this mess! And Peach! Oh, he couldn't forget Peach. She was the one that initiated the whole fiasco! She turned Starlow into a human and gave her that...assignment, if you could call it that. If he ever saw either of the two again he, honest to God, would absolutely MURDER-

Woah. Where on earth had that come from? Luigi's hand went to his head. _Why on earth did I just think that? _he thought frantically. He looked over at Fawful. The Beanbean kid was on the opposite side of the cart and had his back turned to him, his cloak drawn tight around him. Luigi saw it looked a bit worse for wear, as did the person wearing it. He realised that Fawful must be thinking along the same lines as him, as he had lost the Beanbean witch Cackletta. Luigi shuddered when he remembered her. She was pure..._evil_. She was the evillest person he had come across - OK, maybe not _the_ evillest person. The Dark Star beat her there - as that was literally _pure evil_ It was the embodiment of the word evil. He felt some sort of...connection, to Fawful. They had both lost somebody. Luigi got up and walked over to the kid. He cleared his throat.

"Eh...Fawful?" No response. Luigi sighed and tried again:

"Fawful?" A little shift, but other than that? No response. Luigi was starting to get annoyed.

"Fawful!" He placed a hand on his shoulder - and yelped when Fawful whirled around and grabbed it, glaring at him.

"Be letting go of me!" he hissed, flinging Luigi's hand away from him. Luigi stumbled back a few steps from the ferocity of the throw. Luigi gulped.

"Er...I was wondering...if I could ask you a question?" he asked hesitantly. Fawful stared at him, then gave a curt nod. Luigi swallowed nervously.

"Well...can you tell me...about...Cackletta?" he asked tentatively. Fawful stared at him, then tears swam in his eyes. He glared at the green plumber through the tears.

"O Great Cackletta..." he mumbled - then started in shock as Luigi enveloped him in a hug. Fawful pounded weakly on his back.

"Be letting go of me..." he said weakly. Luigi only tightened the hug.

"What? Never been hugged before?" he grinned. "It's meant to offer consolation...kindness...those sort of things," Luigi explained. Fawful bristled.

"I am knowing the reasons of the hug," he said shortly. Luigi smiled.

"Good, good..." he laughed, pulling away. He retreated to his side of the cart and looked out of the 'window'.

"Oh! We seem to be reaching Bowser's Castle," Luigi mused, staring at the bubbling lava. Bowser's Castle truly was a fearsome sight. It had Bowser's head carved in stone on the front, with multiple towers and a spiked shell over (Luigi presumed) the throne room (_yes, I know I took New Super Mario Brother's Wii castle design, but since Bowser has took over the Mushroom Kingdom I decided his castle needed an upgrade. And NSMBW's castle design looks...epic, to say the least_). Luigi was shocked to see it. He thought Bowser still had his old, crummy castle. He whistled appreciatively.

"My, Bowser sure has improved his castle..." he whispered to himself. Even Fawful was looking up at it in awe. The carts trundled to a stop just outside the main gate - a red portcullis. Luigi heard the minions getting out of their respective carts and heading into the castle, chatting excitedly. Luigi shook his head sadly. _They have every right to be excited...after all, they actually _won. _They've never achieved that before..._ The door to their cart swung open, and Anna and Bruce stepped inside, followed by Starlow. Who looked like she wished she was anywhere but here. She kept her eyes pointedly above his head and didn't look at him once as him and Fawful were shepherded out of the cart and into the castle. Inside, the castle looked even more grand. There were golden statues of Bowser round every turn, and gold everywhere you looked. Luigi noticed they were going down. _Into the dungeons_, he realised. Then he had a thought. Surely he could take on a Dry Bones and a Koopa? True, the Dry Bones was wielding a mean looking hammer, but if he could get it off of her...then he remembered Starlow. His resolve deflated. He'd have to fight her, too...Meanwhile, Fawful was kicking and screaming Bruce's arms.

"Stay still!" Bruce huffed, tightening his grip around the furious Beanbean kid. In response, Fawful only redoubled his efforts to get free. Then, he sank his teeth into Bruce's hand.

"OW!" Bruce roared, dropping Fawful. Fawful scarpered back up the stairs. Starlow stopped, appearing to think about something. Then, with a shrug, she turned and followed him. A sound of scuffling could be heard round the corner, then Starlow came back, Fawful slung over her shoulder. Fawful looked like he was out cold, and there was blood trickling down his forehead.

"What did you do to him?!" Luigi cried, trying to run to her. Anna and Bruce blocked him off, sneering at him. Starlow didn't respond; she just walked on by, down another set of stairs. Luigi stared after her. What had Bowser done to her to make her so...cold-hearted? He felt the sharp end of a hammer poking him in the back, and he swivelled round. Anna was grinning at him, poking him down the stairs. He stumbled a bit, but regained his balance. They traipsed down the stairs, and they put him in a cell down the end of the long corridor, which was lined with torches in brackets. Fawful was in there too, lying on a bed of hay. As soon as Luigi entered the cell he twisted round and lashed out at the Koopa with his foot, kicking him in the stomach. Bruce doubled over in pain, and then Starlow seemed to appear from nowhere. Calmly, she slashed his right arm from the elbow up to the shoulder. He cried out and stumbled backwards. Anna kicked him off his feet, into the cell. He landed next to Fawful with a painful thump. He rolled up his sleeve, glaring all the while at Starlow. She stared back at him, her face impassive. Anna and Bruce left without a word, the Dry Bones supporting her injured comrade. Once they had gone up the stairs, concern crossed Starlow's face. She started forwards, then seemed to think better of it. She rummaged around in her trouser pocket, withdrawing a roll of bandages. She walked forward and, bending down, lay them next to him. Luigi stared at her, then a smile creased his face.

"Thank you, Starlow..." he whispered. Starlow flashed him a brief smile before straightening up and turning around, heading for the cell door. When she reached it, she turned back.

"I'll...find a way for you to get out of here. I promise..." she whispered. Luigi's smile turned grateful.

"I hope so..." he replied. Starlow shut and locked the door, then walked off down the corridor. Luigi watched her go, all the way up the stairs and out of sight. He then turned his attention to the bandages, picking them up with his left hand. He tore a strip off with his teeth, wrapping it round the cut. _I guess there is still a heart in her after all..._ he thought happily. He finished bandaging the cut, then looked sideways at Fawful. The Beanbean kid was still out cold. Smiling, he tore another strip off the roll and wrapped it round Fawful's head, tying it tightly to stem the blood flow. Then, satisfied with his work, he hid the bandages in the haystack Fawful was lying on, and settled down on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

He fell asleep after a while, thinking about what might happen tommorrow...

**There we are then! We are now entering the first main part of the story - life as Bowser's prisoner! In actual fact...I wonder if Bowser even knows if Luigi and Fawful are in his dungeons? If he doesn't...oh dear, there is going to be some TROUBLE! And it looks like Starlow still cares for Luigi, doesn't it? Of course she does - she just couldn't show that in front of anyone else now, could she?**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. REVIEW, PEOPLE! Please?**


	4. Caught In The Act

**Heya all! Back with a new chapter! This one is swinging back to Starlow's perspective (in third person, that is).**

**ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

Starlow climbed the stairs out of the lowest floor of the castle to the main floor of the dungeons, thinking. How on earth was she going to get them out of this situation? She used to _hate_ Fawful, what with all the hurt and pain and anguish he had caused the Mushroom Kingdom, and it made her only madder when she found out what had happened over at the Beanbean Kingdom all those years ago. But when she had looked at him back then, out cold...he looked like he was sleeping peacefully, that he had no worries, no schemes to think about. She thought about Cackletta, and realised that he had lost someone too - with what Mario and Luigi had told her she had been like a mother to him; perhaps the mother he never had...

Starlow was broken out of her thoughts when she managed to walk down the length of the hallway and was now climbing the staircase that joined to the main castle. She saw Anna and Bruce waiting for her at the peak.

"Bruce!" Anna fretted. "We've gotta get you to the infirmary, pronto!" She tried to pull him down the hallway, but Bruce remained stubbornly where he was.

"Wanna stay for Starlow..." he mumbled, staring down the stairwell. Spotting Starlow his eyes lit up. "Starlow!" he cried, starting forwards, but Anna had enough strength to keep him back.

"Couldn't you see she was thinking?" she hissed, staring down the stairwell with Bruce. Bruce gave an apologetic smile to Starlow.

"Sorry about that, Starlow!" he called. Anna and Starlow both rolled their eyes at the same time.

"No need, Bruce," Starlow called, joining them at the stairwell's peak. She smiled at Anna, who smiled a strained smile back (tied as she was to Bruce).

"Gerroff me!" Bruce struggled against Anna's grasp, but Anna was winning the battle and was slowly leading him down the corridor. Starlow followed, shaking her head in amusement.

"Why do ya wanna be near me so much, Bruce?" she said, a playful twinkle in her eye. Bruce visibly swallowed.

"Er...no reason, Starlow. I thought those two captives may have got you," he said quickly. Starlow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right," she said, walking past them and stopping at the door to the infirmary. "We gotta get you in here, mister!" Bruce laughed; he limped towards the door, clutching his stomach. Anna followed with a concerned look. The door swung shut behind them, and Starlow leaned against the wall just to the left of it, sighing heavily. Today had been another busy day, and she had maimed her love again. She hated doing that, but at least this time she had been able to tend to him - or at least give him the supplies to tend to himself. She felt bad about swinging the flat of her blade at Fawful's head. She had forgotten he was still a kid, no matter how diabolical he was and how much he had seen, and his head was still pretty soft. She had immediately regretted it when she saw that great spurt of blood jolt out of his forehead - it reminded her of Luigi. She swallowed the bile rising up her throat, coughing. Then, taking a deep breath, she went back down to the dungeons.

_They can survive without me for a while..._

* * *

As soon as Starlow set foot in that long corridor where Luigi and Fawful's cell was located a feral scream erupted from said cell and something heavy hit the bars. She heard a low, soothing voice, and recognised it as Luigi's. He had used the same voice when he was teaching her...she shook her head clear of memories. That was all in the past now - she couldn't think of that. She approached the cell to find Fawful with his face pressed up against the bars, glaring at her.

"YOU!" he screamed at her, then let off a string of incoherent words. Luigi just smiled at her and mouthed, "Heya,". Starlow smiled and waved back. She stared back at the Beanbean kid, who was now banging the bars in a futile attempt to break them and get to her.

"You had the putting of I who is Fawful into the sea of despair!" he howled, sliding down the bars, his energy spent. Starlow raised her eyebrows at this.

"'The sea of despair?' What do you mean by that? It was just unconciousness..." she laughed. Fawful seethed at her, waves of hate emanating from him.

"I...had the seeing...of Great Cackletta..." he whispered, hiding his face in his hands. Starlow and Luigi exchanged surprised looks.

"You did? How? Hallucination?" Luigi asked. Starlow noted the worried note in his voice. _So he's worried for the kid...well, what they've been through would bond ANYONE_ - Fawful glared at Luigi and Starlow sighed mentally - _except these two..._

"It was not being a hallucination!" Fawful cried. "It was being as real as the hay I am sitting on!" Luigi stared at the hay; he picked some up.

"Pretty real, alright..." he muttered to himself, allowing the hay to trickle through his fingers. Then, he got up and enveloped the psychotic Beanbean kid scientist in a hug. Fawful stiffened, but soon relaxed into it. Starlow stared at him, jealousy rising in her like an angry viper.

"What are you DOING?!" she yelled at them. Luigi raised an eyebrow at her.

"What does it look like? I'm comforting him..." he said matter-of-factedly.

"I am not needing the comforting..." Fawful mumbled into his shoulder, but Luigi ignored him. He pulled away and walked towards Starlow.

"I hate seeing other people in suffering, Starlow..." he whispered to her. Starlow stared at him, the jealousy boiling just below her surface. She visibly swallowed it down.

"F...fine..." she mumbled, turning away so he wouldn't see her tears. Luigi sighed.

"Starlow. Look at me," he ordered. Starlow, still facing away from him, shook her head. Luigi reached a hand out, thorugh the bars, and grasped the back of her yellow t-shirt. Starlow stiffened slightly, turning around to him. Luigi's hand trailed around her as she turned, ending up on her stomach. She looked down at it, then back up at him, her eyes red and puffy.

"Starlow...come here..." he said softly. Starlow hesitated, and immediately berated herself for doing so. _He LOVES you! What do you think he's gonna do? Murder ya? For a start, he doesn't have anything that can maim or kill..._ Starlow walked forwards, and Luigi wrapped his arms around her in an awkward hug through the bars. Starlow sighed and melted into his arms, resenting the fact there were some steel bars in their way. She sighed happily.

"Oh, Luigi..." she whispered. Fawful watched all of this, confused.

"Are you...having the feelings of romance for each other?" he asked slowly. Starlow looked over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah...you could say that..." she giggled, snuggling further into his arms. Or as far as she could with some steel rods in the way. Luigi breathed in her scent - he loved it. It smelt of nectar, and honeyblossom...he just couldn't get enough of it. Starlow broke from the hug, turning around. She placed his hands on either side of her head.

"Kiss me," she commanded. Luigi grinned - he brought her closer, their lips making the first contact in what seemed like forever. It was just as good as Starlow remembered it. It was sweet and soft, but also passionate as they slowly poured their love for each other into it. They both broke away after a few minutes, gasping due to a lack of air.

"Wow..." Starlow breathed. Luigi smiled at her - then visibly paled.

"Um...Starlow? You...may wanna turn around..." he said, shaking. Starlow obliged, and gasped in shock when she saw who was there.

Her best friend, Anna.

"Would you like to explain what - the - HELL - that - was - ABOUT?" she snarled, twirling her hammer menancingly. Starlow and Luigi gulped.

_Uh-oh..._

**Oh christ. They've been DISCOVERED! OH NOEZ! Just as things were getting sentimental, Anna comes along and spoils it. Bet she's wondering why Starlow's gettin' smoochy with Luigi :) They're gonna need some answers. And fast :P**

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter - AND THEY ARE FINALLY STARTING TO GET LONG! WOOT!**

**..._A-hem_. Anyway, I _love_ writing romantic scenes between Luigi and Starlow - bless that couple, they are so SWEET!**

**...I sound like a reviewer to my own story XD**

**Anyway, REVIEW, PEOPLE! (like I inadvertently did:P)**


	5. A Story To Tell

**Aha! We are now getting into the swing of things! Last time, Starlow and Luigi were caught by Anna having a 'romantic moment'. Suffice to say, Anna wasn't very pleased about this. So we rejoin the (not-so-much) action!**

**ROLL ON THE CHAPPY! Oh wait a minute! I changed my penname AGAIN. Yup, I dither here and dather there. But I'm gonna stay on this name now - TheAlmightyDarkStar sounded a bit too cliche.**

**Anyway, ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

"Anna, listen! I can explain-" Starlow started, but Anna cut her off.

"No need, Starlow. I _caught _you two _KISSING!_" Anna roared, swinging her hammer at Starlow's head. Luigi jumped back and Starlow ducked, shifting to one side. The hammer banged against the bars, making a loud _clang_.

"Anna! Just calm down! Let her explain!" Luigi said exasperatedly. Anna glared daggers at him.

"SHUT IT, captive. Why should I listen to you? You're the sworn enemy of Bowser and his army!" Anna growled at him, stomping towards him, but tripped up. She sprawled onto the ground, her hammer flying from her grip. It slid through the gap in the bars, lightly tapping Luigi's foot and coming to a rest by it. Luigi grinned and picked it up. Anna cast a glance over her shoulder. Starlow, an apologetic look on her face, had her left hand wrapped round Anna's shin. Anna roared and twisted round, her hands out in front of her. Starlow let go of her hand and leapt up, unsheathing her rapier. She placed the flat of it on Anna's chest.

"Wh-what are you doing, Starlow?!" Anna and Luigi asked simultaneously in disbelief. Starlow said nothing for a while. Then, after a breath:

"I'm...sorry, Anna. But if this is the only way to make you listen to us...I'll take it. You don't want to be in pain now, do you?" Anna stared up at her friend, fear evident in her eyes. Slowly, she nodded. Starlow released the breath she was holding and removed the blade, sheathing her rapier. She held out a hand and helped Anna up, who was still staring at her in fear, but now with a bit of incredulity.

"You...really were going to crumble me?!" she asked in disbelief. Starlow nodded, sliding down the wall and sitting down, her head between her knees. A few shaky breaths could be heard from her, then she looked up. She tucked her knees underneath her chin, and smiled brightly at Anna.

"Yes...my love runs deep for the green plumber," she replied, trying to sound poetic to get across the depth of her love for Luigi to Anna. Anna seemed to get the message; she looked wildly between the two. Fawful just stared at the scene from the corner of the cell he had retreated to.

"So...you WERE having the feelings of romance?" he asked quietly. Starlow grinned at him.

"I've answered that before. Yes, I do, Fawful. DON'T ask again, OK?" Starlow asked, fixing him with a friendly smile.

"O of the K. I will not have the asking of the question of romance again," Fawful promised.

"Good," Starlow sighed, leaning back against the wall. Anna walked up to her friend and sat down next to her.

"So...when...did you get these feelings?" Anna asked hesitantly. Starlow ad Luigi shared a look.

"Where to start..." Starlow mused, looking back at Anna. "Well, I suppose I should tell you I am a star sprite,". She blushed slightly as Anna gasped in admiration.

"Really?! But - how did you get to be a human?" she asked excitedly. Starlow grinned at her - Anna had taken that better than she'd hoped.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, as I'm sure Peach will have my head - metaphorically, of course," Starlow laughed. Luigi raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Aww..."

Starlow got up. "I...promise you won't tell this next part to anyone, even Bruce. Understand?" she asked. Anna nodded her head frantically - too frantically. It rolled off, coming to a stop by the opposite wall.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Anna's head cried. She closed her eyes, seeming to concentrate. Then, with a pained gasp, the head floated over to her body and re-attached itself. Anna shook it, shivering slightly.

"God, that ALWAYS hurts. And it feels weird..." she mumbled, turning her head this way and that, cricking her neck. Starlow, Luigi and Fawful watched in morbid fascination, watching to see what actually happened with the bones to make that _crick_ sound.

"O...K. After that little...incident, I'm now gonna tell you why I love Luigi so much," Starlow said slowly, staring at her friend's neck still. Anna smiled at her expectantly. Starlow cleared her throat, staring into space.

"Well...I can guess you could say it started with the Fawful incident," Fawful opened his mouth to argue, but Luigi shushed him. Starlow continued: "After Bowser inhaled us, I wandered around - and got caught. Fortunately, Mario saved me. But, after trekking for a while and not finding Luigi, I started to get worried. Mental images flooded my mind of what could've happened...none of them pleasant. So we stopped in an 'S' shaped room, and I was about to voice my fears to Mario. Then he spotted something up ahead. It was Luigi! Of course, when I followed him into the room I couldn't really say anything of what I felt, could I? After all...Luigi was human; I was a star sprite. We couldn't really...er..._go out_, for lack of a better word. Anyway, during the adventure, I found myself getting attached to him. He was the total opposite of his brother: cool, calm, if a little bit cowardly-" Luigi rolled his eyes at this. "-but gentle as well. So, when we all finally got out of Bowser's body I hurried to Luigi first; partly because he was knocked out, but mostly because I worried about him. Then, while repairing the castle, those feelings of worry dissolved, to be replaced by love. I...don't know HOW it happened, all I know is that it happened somehow. That was why I always badgered Peach to let me work with Luigi on whatever job he was doing - even if I couldn't do anything. Also, these feelings were why I wanted him to train me, as I didn't want to be under Mario's guidance. I wanted to be close to Luigi. I wanted him to _touch_ me, in ways I never fully comprehended until I was a human. Once comprehension came, I was slightly sickened by the fact and decided not to let Luigi know. But, after mulling it over, I decided to tell him and see where we went from there. Suffice to say I was _overjoyed_ when I found out he shared my feelings - something that had been badgering me during that day because of the kiss the night before. I had initiated it, so I wondered if I had taken advantage of his worried state, what with me fainting and all," Starlow took a deep breath, and continued. "So...yes, I am working for Peach. But that seems to have gone out of the window since Bowser won that battle," Starlow shuddered at the thought of it.

"So that's why you were so depressed after killing Luigi..." Anna wondered out loud. Tears moistened Starlow's eyes - she nodded. Anna noticed this, and immediately backtracked.

"Oh! Oh - Starlow, I didn't mean to voice that!" she said quickly. Starlow giggled quietly and wiped her eyes.

"Nah...it doesn't matter, Anna. I'm all over that now. And now you know the story..." _...but not all the facts_, Starlow thought. Anna nodded happily.

"Yup! Your secret is safe with me, Starlow!" she said brightly. Starlow beamed.

"Glad to hear it," she replied. Starlow looked over at Luigi - he was still clutching Anna's hammer. She motioned to his hands, and Luigi looked at them. Recognition crossed his face, and he cleared his throat.

"Er, Anna?" he called to the female Dry Bones.

"Yes, ca - er, Luigi?" she asked, looking at him. Luigi, for an answer, held out his hands.

"Your hammer," he said simply. Anna gasped; she shot up and ran to the bars. Luigi gave her the hammer.

"Oh my God I totally forgot about that! Thanks, Luigi!" she smiled, cradling the hammer. Luigi smiled back.

"No problem, Anna," he replied, turning around with the intent of retreating to the back of the cell. But Starlow grabbed the back of his overalls and span him round; she dragged him forwards and kissed him. Luigi looked surprised, but soon relaxed into it. Anna and Fawful rolled eyes at each other. Anna grabbed the back of Starlow's t-shirt.

"Come on, you lovebird! We gotta go and check up on Bruce - he may be wondering where we are," she laughed, wrenching Starlow backwards. Starlow smiled sheepishly at Anna.

"OK. I just wanted to leave Luigi on a high, that's all!" she giggled. She ran down the corridor, letting off a loud, ecstatic whoop. Luigi grinned at her retreating back. Anna grinned at him.

"You really make her happy...and for that I'm glad," she said to him. Luigi blushed and removed his cap, scratching the top of his head.

"Eheh...no worries, Anna. If she needs cheering, just bring her down here, 'K?" he asked.

"Will do!" Anna said brightly, and ran off after her friend. Luigi smiled and leaned against the wall next to the bars.

Today had turned out alright after all...

**Starlow! Don't leave Luigi expectant like that! You know what happens if you build his hopes up!**

**Ahem. Enough scolding. They have every right to do that. I have no right to tell them off.**

**Starlow: Too true!**

**OI! How on earth did you get into the AN?**

**Starlow: Side door.**

***growls* Luigi, how many times - wait, Luigi?!**

**Luigi: Heya, DSE!**

***growls become louder* OUT! Come on, SCAT! VAMOOSE! *motions for Starlow and Luigi to leave. They do so, muttering***

**Starlow: Gee, someone has a temper...**

**I HEARD THAT!**

**Starlow: Ulp. *runs out of side door, with Luigi following close behind. I pursue them angrily***

***over my shoulder to readers* REVIEW, PEOPLE! *to Starlow and Luigi* GET BACK HERE!...**


	6. I HAVE PLANNING!

**Ya...it seems FF doesn't recognise -'s and ...'s. So this chappy WAS called 'Duel To The Death! - nearly..." but FF was like "what the heck is this punctuation?" and took it out, leaving:**

**Duel To The Death!Nearly**

**Not very good, is it? So I modified it. I'm only annoyed at it because of what happened with Super Paper Mario. *takes deep breath***

**MY WII OFFICIALLY _HATES _SUPER PAPER MARIO!**

**Yup, I tried THREE different discs on the same Wii. And it kept on freezing each and every time I entered Merlee's Mansion. Grr...No, make that TWO Wii's. See, it would make a loud buzzing noise and the screen would freeze with the door open (meaning I have never seen inside her mansion:P), then, if I didn't turn it off without ten seconds the Wii would shut down and wouldn't restart. I'm...annoyed, to say the least. I really wanna play that game...**

**Anyway, enough moping. Gotta keep my thoughts focused on this story. Focus, DSR, focus...**

**So...ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

**Starlow: Nyagh!**

**OI! YOU AGAIN! I'm...trying to write a chapter here. And how'd you know we were following you this chappy?**

**Starlow: I...didn't even say that. And you just said it...**

**DANG IT!**

Starlow, grinning, shot through the double doors of the infirmary, pelting towards Bruce's bed. Anna emerged through the doors shortly thereafter, making her way to the same place.

"_Heya_, Bruce!" Starlow exclaimed, perching on the edge of his bed. Bruce gave a pained smile.

"Heya, Starlow. Hello, Anna," he said to the female Dry Bones. Anna rushed to his side, concerned.

"Are you alright?" she fussed, feeling his forehead. Bruce grinned at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm OK! No need to worry..." he laughed, taking her hand and pulling it into his lap, putting his other hand on top (_er, can I even call 'em hands? I suppose they DO have hands...er, nevermind_). Anna would have blushed if she could; instead, she resorted to bashfully avoiding his gaze.

"I'm...glad you're OK..." she whispered. Bruce smiled.

"Thanks, Anna. That means a lot to me..." he said softly back. Anna raised her head, staring into his eyes. Bruce stared into her...er, eye sockets (_way to break up a sentimental moment, DSE! Really smooth..._). Anna smiled slightly (_yes, I KNOW she has no muscles i.e she can't lift her bones into a smile shape! SCREW THESE LITTLE AN NOTES!_) and leaned forward, resting her head in his lap. She sighed contently. Starlow watched the scene with a small smile, and that stretched into a grin when she saw Bruce's slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Um...Anna?" he asked hesitantly. Anna craned her head back to look at him and smiled warmly.

"Yes?" Bruce's resolve withered at that smile; he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Er...nothing," he said slowly. Anna's smile grew wider and she leant back into his lap. He looked up to see Starlow miming a heart and thrusting it out to them. Bruce turned red; he shook his fist at her. Starlow laughed, leaping up from the bed.

"I'll leave the lovey-dovey couple to have some time alone, now," she grinned, skipping out of the infirmary. Bruce glared at her, but dropped it as Anna settled more comfortably in his lap. The last thing Starlow saw was him smiling kindly down at her.

* * *

Starlow leant against the wall outside the infirmary, smiling at the memory of her two best friends together. _Who would've thought it, eh?_ she thought happily. Her thought's soon turned serious though as she thought of how to break them out of that cell. Just make a break for it? No, that would be suicidal! Blow the wall down? Nah, too noticeable. Sneak into the supply room, grab a load of weapons, take Bowser and his army head on_, win, _leg it out of the castle, make it to Blubble Lake then formulate a plan of what to do next. Starlow blinked in astonishment. Woah, she could really formulate a plan if she put her mind to it. But taking on Bowser's army? Now that _would_ be suicide...Starlow banged her head against the wall frustratedly and sighed heavily. God, this was going to be _hard_. But she had promised them - hey! Why shouldn't she just go and discuss this with Luigi and Fawful? Fawful, being the little genius he was, would surely formulate a plan. For God's sake, he had nearly taken over the _Mushroom Kingdom_! And he was just a kid! Starlow shook her head in amusement at this thought as she made her way back to their cell.

_He'd BETTER have a good plan, or else..._

"Heya, Starlow!" Luigi greeted her enthusiastically. Starlow returned the greeting, before turning her eyes on the Beanbean kid. Fawful had his back to her, and she could feel the waves of hate emanating from him.

"Fawful?" No response. Starlow sighed. "Fawful, I know you won't look at me, but just LISTEN to me, alright?"

A pause. Then:

"O of the K. I will have the listening," Fawful said shortly. Starlow relaxed.

"Thanks, Fawfie!" she giggled, trying to rile him up enough to make him turn around with the use of a nickname and a high-pitched voice. It seemed to work; Fawful growled, spinning round to face her.

"Do not have the calling of I who is Fawful that!" he shouted at her. Starlow smiled at him.

"O of the K..._Fawfie_," she added. Fawful roared and lunged at the bars, tearing at them.

"You have the putting of the red fog of fury in my eyes! I HAVE FURY!" he roared, banging the bars with his fists. Luigi grabbed the flailing kid and planted him on the haystack.

"Shh, Fawful. No need for that - she was only messing," he said soothingly. Fawful stared, a crazy look in his eyes. Then he seemed to deflate.

"Fink rat of green," he muttered. Luigi smiled; he turned back to Starlow, who seemed to be struggling with something again. He sighed.

"Oh for God's sake, Starlow! It's just a bit of comforting. No need to get all jealous," he teased.

"I'm not jealous," was the immediate reply. Luigi grinned.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah..._not!_"

"Really, I am not JEALOUS!" Luigi laughed and walked towards her, taking her hands.

"Look, it's alright to admit it, but...you gotta stop feeling that, 'k?" he asked softly. Starlow looked at him through hooded eyes.

"What if I don't wanna stop feeling it? What if it's the only thing clinging me to sanity?" she whispered. Luigi looked shocked.

"Starlow...don't say that...and what about love?" he asked slowly. Starlow gave an easy smile.

"Of course, that's the other feeling that's clinging me to sanity as well..._of course_," she added sarcastically. Luigi smiled and backed into the cell.

"Good," he replied, satisfied. Starlow cleared her throat.

"So...er, Fawful? We will be needing a plan if I'm gonna get you two out of here..." she called to the kid. Fawful span round to face her, a maniacal glint in his eye.

"Have you not had the thinking that I have had the thinking of one?" he said almost gleefully. Starlow blinked at his sudden enthusiasm.

"Er...no?" she answered. Fawful grinned at her.

"I have chortles and delight! It is being of most simplicity, like a sandwich of ham and cheese!" Starlow shared a significant glance; Fawful would be Fawful. Fawful continued: "I have planning! But firsting...I am needing a ray gun!" Starlow stared at him.

"What?! But...why?!" she asked, shocked. Fawful gave her a look as if to say she was an incomprehensible idiot.

"For the planning," he said shortly. "Now be gone!" he cried. Starlow poked her tongue out at his back.

"Nyagh!" she said. Then, with a huff, she turned on her heel and strode down the hallway.

"Starlow, don't think all is lost!" Luigi called after her. Starlow stopped.

"What?" she called back over her shoulder. Luigi called back:

"Remember the Shroobs!" Starlow grinned; she remembered the guns they had wielded. It would be perfect for Fawful, and even if it wasn't he could make a few modifications to it.

"Thanks!" she called, sprinting off down the hallway, heading to the supply room. Luigi grinned as Fawful stared questionably at him.

"Shroobs?" the Beanbean kid asked. Luigi smiled.

"Yup, the Shroobs..." he said simply, settling down on the floor.

**FAWFUL HAS PLANNING! Fawful will ALWAYS have a plan, no matter the situation! He's a GENIUS, for crying out loud. Or...I hope he is.**

**Anyway, hope you liked this new chappy! I've gotta start extending these, but I'm trying to get them out of that damn cell at the moment. It will take time, folks.**

**Until next time, REVIEW, PEOPLE!**


	7. Broken Petals

**HEY ALL! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait and all, but my laptop screen got DESTROYED. But I got a new one! So now I can continue writing these stories!**

**Oh, and Luigi's Diary? I agree with you saying that the first six chapters haven't been quite up to scratch, but I promise you - and everyone else reading this - that this story is gonna get better! AS levels are such a pain...:P**

**Anyway. ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

Starlow smiled to herself as she took the stairs leading out of the dungeon two at a time. She was glad Luigi had no hard feelings towards her after all she had done to him. She ran down the corridor before sprinting up the stairs into the main castle. Here she slowed to a quick walk, passing the infirmary door. She slowed down and stopped, doubling back. She pushed open the infirmary doors and walked inside. She was surprised to see Private Goomp in the first bed on the left. He was staring wistfully out of the window next to his bed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stopping at the foot of his bed. The Goomba turned his head and gave her a wan smile before turning back to the window.

"My stupid lackeys," he sighed, turning back round to her and snuggling deeper under the quilts. Starlow blinked, confused. PG continued: "They crushed me again. And even though I tell them I'm _fine_, they still put me in here! But I don't have any complaints..." he trailed off, staring at an attractive female nurse Goomba walking by. She had a blonde ponytail, with black highlights streaking through it. She caught his gaze and blushed, quickening her pace. The infirmary doors swung shut behind her. PG sighed.

"Y'know, she's pretty..." he whispered to Starlow, gazing forlornly at the swinging doors. Starlow smiled.

"Yeah, I sorta noticed. You like her, don't you?" she asked, grinning mischievously. PG turned bright red; he spluttered as he tried to respond. Starlow laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she said brightly, before walking away. PG watched her go, still spluttering.

Starlow reached Bruce's bed. The green-shelled Koopa was asleep, as was the Dry Bones next to him. "Hey, Bruce..." she whispered. Bruce cracked open one eyelid and grinned lazily at her. He stretched theatrically, before making a big show of draping his arm round the female Dry Bone's shoulder next to him. She mumbled something before stirring awake.

"Mmm...what is it?" she yawned, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She stopped when she realised she didn't _have_ eyes. She saw Starlow and blushed - or seemed to at any rate.

"Sorry, force of habit," she said sheepishly. Starlow waved her hand nonchalantly in a gesture of 'No worries', then tapped her shoulder. Anna slowly raised her hand and tried to tap her own shoulder; instead, she got Bruce's hand. Yelping in fright, she leapt up and whirled around to face him. When she saw him she visibly relaxed and immediately sat back down again, leaning on Bruce's shoulder. She twisted her head to look at him and smiled. Bruce smiled back and pushed back a lock of imaginary hair from her forehead. Anna giggled softly and closed her eyes. Starlow cleared her throat.

"Um...how are you, Bruce?" she asked, perching on the edge of the bed. Bruce shrugged.

"Fine. No complaints here so far," he replied, pulling Anna closer to himself and snuggling deeper under the blanket. Anna smiled softly in her sleep and her head drooped to rest in his lap. She continued sleeping, not noticing her sudden change in position. Bruce did, though, and quickly set her upright. She fell back onto his shoulder again. Bruce sighed and gave up, leaning against the headrest again. He looked back at Starlow to see her smiling at them. It was genuine, but he could also see a hint of mischievousness in it. He visibly gulped and Starlow's smile widened.

"I knew it..." was all she said. Then she clapped her hands and leapt up off the bed. "Right! Well, I should leave you two alone,". Bruce's eyes widened; he mouthed "Don't go,", pleading her with his eyes. Starlow shook her head.

"Nope, you two look like you need some time alone. See ya!" she finished brightly, turning around and exiting the infirmary. Bruce watched the doors swing shut, then turned his attention back to the Dry Bones next to him. He smiled and and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

* * *

Starlow walked with quick steps towards the Cryogenic Chamber. She knew where it was, having been there with Mario and Luigi when she was still a star sprite. She smiled as she remembered the conversation after defeating those Shroobs...

_"Well done, Mario! I knew you could do it!" the star sprite cheered. Mario and Luigi struck victory poses when the last Shroob hit the floor. They then relaxed and headed back to the star sprite, who was bouncing around jubilantly._

_"What were those things, anyway?" she asked, stopping her bouncing._

_"They are Shroobs, an alien race who invaded the Mushroom Kingdom when me and my brother were only babies," Mario explained. Starlow's eyes widened._

_"Wow...so you defeated these by yourself?" she asked softly, drifting slightly closer to the dead aliens. She noticed how alike they were to the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom, except the Shroobs were purple with green polka-dot domes. Mario started at her words._

_"What? N-no! I had help from my brother of course!" he said proudly. Luigi nodded and adopted a fighting stance. He punched and kicked through imaginary enemies. Starlow giggled._

_"Tee hee hee! Did you defeat them with some ferocious crying, Luigi?" she laughed. Luigi stopped what he was doing; his eyes downcast, he dropped to his knees and poked the floor forlornly. Mario rounded on Starlow._

_"How DARE you talk to my baby brother like that?" he hissed, stomping towards the star sprite. Starlow recoiled slightly in terror. Mario continued: "For your _information_, Luigi was the one who defeated them in the end!" he ended with a snarl. Starlow's eyes widened again._

_"Wow...really?!" she asked, hesitantly drifting closer to the mad plumber. Mario jerked his head in a nod. Starlow's eyes swam._

_"Wow...erm...s-sorry, L-Luigi..." she whispered, a tear trickling down her face. Luigi did a front flip and landed on one knee, with his head held high and his hands out to the side. He looked left at the star sprite, and was shocked to see her crying. He quickly got up and rushed over to her. He pulled the startled star sprite into a hug. Starlow stopped crying and stared up at Luigi. Mario 'hmphed' and turned away, still angry._

_"L...Luigi?" she whispered, staring deep into his azure eyes. Luigi smiled at her._

_"Don't worry about my brother. He's just overly protective of me - after all, I'm his 'baby brother'." Luigi explained, putting emphasis on the phrase 'baby brother'. Starlow just continued to stare into his eyes. Luigi jumped slightly at the sound of Mario's voice, outside the chamber._

_"Luigi! Hurry up already!" Luigi let go of Starlow and rushed out to meet his brother. Starlow blushed slightly, watching him go. Then, blush fading, she shook herself and followed the two plumbers._

Starlow laughed softly at that memory. That had been a good moment between them, but then Mario ruined it. She sighed happily, revisiting the memory again and again, lingering on the hug.

"Starlow..." someone whispered from the room she'd just passed. Starlow paused. Did she just hear her name being called?

"S...Starlow..." the voice whispered again. Yes, someone had _definitely_ called her. She doubled back and peered into the window. She could see someone lying on the floor, dressed in a black cloak with a black hood that completely obscured the person's face. The woman - as it clearly was by her figure - was staring at the window. When she saw Starlow she raised a hand weakly and pulled back her hood. Starlow noticed with slight disgust that the hand and arm were pitifully thin, like the woman had been starved. But these thoughts were blown clean out of her head as the woman removed her hood. Starlow gasped at who it was.

Princess Peach.

**Yes! Time to introduce the princess into this story! I know in other stories that Bowser actually takes care of her, but in this one I wanted to make him as evil as can be. Not a pushover.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and REVIEW, PEOPLE!**

**XD**


	8. A Hot Situation

**Heya! I'm back with another chappy! This one is going to pick up the pace a little (I hope you agree!)**

**Anyway…ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

"Peach!" Starlow gasped, pressing her face against the window. Peach waved weakly at her, then slumped exhaustedly onto the floor. Starlow tried the door, but she knew it would be locked.

It was.

Snarling in frustration, she kicked it. Again. Again. The door splintered on the fourth try, wood chips spraying into the room. She rushed into the room and helped Peach to her feet. Peach's face was stark white.

"God…you're strong…" she whispered. Starlow allowed Peach to lean fully against her. She slowly slid down the wall, pulling Peach into a sitting position.

"Peach…have you eaten at all?" she whispered, not trusting her voice. Peach stared into space for a few seconds before answering.

"Y…yes, I have. But only dry bread and butter, with a pail of water," she replied slowly. Starlow felt a pang in her heart for her friend - it was pure _evil_ the way she had been treated. She gave Peach a one-armed squeeze.

"Don't worry. I'll get you outta here!" she said cheerily, but she felt anything but. Peach tilted her head towards her friend, a quizzical look on her face.

"Umm...and how do you propose we do that?" she asked. Starlow pouted at the pink princess.

"Peach. You're meant to feed off my optimism, making you hopeful…" Starlow explained, shaking her head in amusement. Peach gave her a wry smile, then affixed a hopeful look on her face.

"Really? Aw, you're awesome!" Peach squealed, clapping her hands together in delight. Starlow laughed and helped Peach up, leading her to the doorway.

"There you go! That's what you were supposed to do," she chuckled, leading Peach down a side corridor. She showed her a cupboard.

"Hide in there a sec – I'll be back with some food," Starlow reassured, opening the cupboard door. Peach gave her a wary look before entering the cupboard. Starlow shut the door and quickly headed off towards the kitchens.

*

"Heya people!" she greeted brightly upon entering the kitchen. Goombano, the head chef, waved at her.

"Heya back," he greeted warmly. The few Goomba's and Koopa's working in the kitchen waved spatulas at her. She sniffed the air expectantly – a warm, meaty aroma filled her nostrils.

"Mmm…meat loaf again?" she asked, turning to the nearest Goomba. He nodded furiously.

"It always is," he joked half heartedly. Starlow nodded – she couldn't argue with that.

"I'm gettin' sick and tired of bloody meat loaf," a green shelled Koopa growled, stirring the gruel (that would go alongside the meat loaf) a little too vigorously. It slopped over the side of the pan and burned his hand.

"YEEOWCH!" he squealed, whipping his hand to his mouth and sucking on the burn. His fellow colleagues chuckled, but were silenced by a look from Goombano. He ripped off a couple of kitchen rolls and dousing it in cold water; he then wrapped it round the Koopa's hand. The Koopa whipped his hand back into his mouth and nodded his thanks. Goombano smiled.

"No worries, Kyle. I always look after my team – even if Bowser does not…" he muttered to himself, but everyone caught it. They grinned at each other – they agreed with Goombano. Starlow cleared her throat.

"Err…Goombano? Have you got any food? I'm starving…" she grumbled, rubbing her stomach to emphasise the point. Goombano wandered over to the fridge.

"Let's see…we have some milk, some bread – _what's it doing in here?_ – , some banana's and some apples," he listed, turning back round to Starlow. Starlow thought for a second.

"Let's have the milk and the fruit," she decided. Goombano took out two apples, two banana's and poured her a generous glass of milk. He placed it all on a tray and handed it to her. Starlow took it, thanking him for his generosity. She backed out of the double doors which led out of the kitchen and headed back to Peach. Goombano watched her go, a smile on his face.

_She's a good girl…_ he thought.

*

"Oh _Peach_," Starlow announced her return in a sing-song voice. Peach peered out of the cupboard. Upon noticing the food her eyes widened. Starlow handed her the tray; mumbling a quick thanks she took it and retreated back into the cupboard. Sounds of furious munching and gulping could be heard from inside. Starlow looked left and right, checking to see if anyone was coming. No one was. She knocked on the door.

"Peach…you may wanna chew more silently, 'K?" she suggested. An agreeing sound came from behind the door – Starlow assumed her mouth was full. She smiled. The princess was usually the epitome of politeness – she guessed the starvation had put paid to all that. Peach burped from behind the door, then made an apologetic gesture, her mouth still quite full. Realising that Starlow was behind the door, she said apologised out loud, around the food in her mouth. Starlow grinned to herself and said it wasn't a problem. Peach opened the door and slid the tray out, then after some thought followed it. Starlow gave her a reassuring smile and Peach smiled brightly back.

"Mmm…" Peach murmured. "I really needed that! Thanks, Starlow!" she exclaimed, wrapping the woman in a hug. Starlow enthusiastically returned the hug, smiling, but her expression quickly turned serious

"Now we've gotta get you and Luigi out of here. And Fawful, I suppose. He was dragged into this…" Starlow muttered to herself. Peach only caught one thing though.

"Luigi? He's…he's alive?!" she gasped. Starlow nodded.

"That 1-Up of yours really came in handy," she explained, winking at the princess. Peach beamed.

"I _knew_ it would…I had a feeling," she replied. Starlow gave her a wry smile, then took her hand.

"Come on. I'll lead you to them, but _be quiet_, OK?" she asked. Peach nodded and Starlow walked quickly down the corridor, peering into doorways to see if anyone was coming. _Good so far…_ Starlow thought as they approached the dungeon stairs. The two women turned the final corner – and stopped dead.

There was a procession of Toad's of all ages filing down the stairs towards the dungeons, but this wasn't what shocked them. It was who was leading the way.

"Bowser," Starlow hissed in a low voice, layering her voice with as much hate as she could muster. The Koopa King had a malicious smile decorating his features, and his claws gleamed. He picked his teeth with his right index claw.

"Boy, your food in Toad Town is _gorgeous_! I should visit there more often – wait, I torched the place! I can't go there anymore! Damn, I really wanted more of that food…" Bowser said evilly, fixing a small Toad toddler with a hungering gaze. The mother stood in front of her son and spread her arms protectively.

"Don't even _think_ about it…" she hissed. Bowser laughed.

"I don't eat vegetables, darlin'" he chuckled. The mother only glared at him, then picked up her son and hurried into the dungeon after the others. Bowser chuckled to himself, then roared to the other toads.

"MOVE IT! I don't have all day…" he growled, stomping his left foot. A couple of the smaller Toads squeaked and made a mad dash for the stairs. The others just gave him looks of pure hatred before heading down the stairs with their heads held high. Bowser laughed even harder. Starlow turned to Peach.

"Let's double back and find another way," she suggested in a whisper. Peach nodded, her wide eyes on the Koopa King. They slowly backed up, and turned around. They started to walk, but Peach tripped and fell.

Right into a suit of armour.

Starlow winced at the loud crash. Bowser was sure to hear…

"Hey, what the hell was that?" Starlow sighed. Yup, he had heard alright… Starlow helped Peach up.

"Come on! We gotta go!" she whispered. Peach nodded – then froze when she heard a stomp. Another stomp was heard, then another. The woman stared at each other for a split-second, then bolted down the corridor. Bowser rounded the corner.

"Alright, what was that – PEACH?!" he exclaimed. He noticed Starlow running alongside her. "And Starlow! You lousy betrayer!" he roared, giving chase.

"Uh oh…" Starlow muttered. She grabbed Peach's hand and dragged her along. Peach wasn't accustomed to running as fast as Starlow (the weeks working as Bowser's minion had improved her fitness) so she was dragged unceremoniously behind the human star sprite.

Starlow ran flat out, hoping to get to the end of the corridor before it was too late. She felt something warming her back, and the corridor was getting an odd cherry glow…Starlow's eyes widened as she realised what it was. She took a quick glance over her shoulder. A _huge_ jet of flame was barrelling down the corridor, catching up quite quickly. Starlow doubled her pace and Peach suddenly managed to find her legs and catch up to Starlow. Fear can do that to people…

_Come on, just a bit further…_ Starlow thought frantically, sprinting as fast as she could to outrun the deadly jet of flame. The corner was approaching fast. But the flames were approaching faster. Starlow reached out a hand…

And that was when the flames swallowed them whole.

**Uh-oh! Look's like Starlow and Peach are in some **_**hot water!**_

**Geddit? Hot? No? Ah, never mind…it was rubbish anyway.**

**I'm rolling out this chappies as fast as I can, people! Hope you like this one and…REVIEW, PEOPLE!**


	9. Prison Break

**I'm back with a new chapter! Last time we left Starlow and Peach in mortal danger; will they get out of it? Read to find out! (Darn clichés…write them all the time :/)**

"ARRRRRRGH!" Starlow screamed, falling to the floor in agony. The flames eagerly toasted her, burning her alive. She writhed in agony on the floor, praying for the flames to stop.

As if the celestial beings had heard her, it stopped.

Starlow groaned in pain, twisting weakly on the floor. She heard Bowser behind her:

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! Peach is with her! I could've easily burnt her as well…What's this? I only got Starlow? Wh-where's Peach?!" She heard him stomp towards her, and she lifted her head. Just in time to see a flash of pink disappear down a side corridor barely wide enough for her. She smiled, wincing as her burns chafed against each other.

_She got away…that's good_, Starlow thought as Bowser roughly picked her up. Her body protested loudly, and only one thought passed through Starlow's mind before she sunk into unconsciousness.

_Why the hell didn't I see that corridor?!_

*

Peach reached the end of the corridor, checking each way for Bowser's minions.

Nothing.

Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the corridor and flew down it, towards the dungeon. As she approached, she thought of Starlow.

_God…imagine being burnt like that. I wonder how Mario put up- Oh, Mario… _Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of the red-capped plumber. He had died at Bowser's own hands, and she had watched it all, too pitifully weak to stop it. She had to watch as her love was slaughtered right in front of her. The tears rolled down her cheeks. She hadn't even told him how she felt…and now she would never get the chance. She mourned his death greatly, but now she had a job to do.

Noises came from the dungeon stairs, loud noises. Those noises sounded like…footsteps. Lots of footsteps. A _heck _of a lot…Peach's eyes widened and she dived behind a suit of armour, just before a whole stampede of Toads charged past her, heading for the exit. What looked like every minion was on their tail.

"OI! STOP!" One Koopa shouted out, but to no avail. They charged past, leaving the pink princess in peace. She breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly ran to the stairs, heading down into the depths of the dungeons.

*

Starlow awoke slowly, blinking. Her whole body was still in pain, but it was now a dull ache. She was in a white walled room, with one brown door leading the way out. Nothing else was in there. Starlow didn't know where she was, she just knew she had been treated. That much she could tell by the way she was encased head to foot in a full length body cast, with a hole for the eyes and mouth. She could also feel the cream that underlined the cast, soothing her burns. She relaxed, sinking deeper into the ache. The door opened, snapping her out of her dozy state. She stared as the Koopa King stomped into the room, looking extremely grumpy. Upon seeing Starlow, however, his expression cleared and turned malicious. Starlow gulped. She was defenceless here, and Bowser had total control. She watched as he approached her, stopping at the foot of her bed. He raised a fist; Starlow's eyes widened, realising what he was about to do. She futilely tried to get away, but the body cast restricted to just trembling somewhat. Bowser grinned; his fist swooped downwards, smashing her ankle. Starlow cried out, her whole body contorting as much as it could in the cast. Bowser's grin turned evil; he walked up to the side of her bed, leaning in till they were nose to nose. Sweat streamed off Starlow's forehead due to the combined anxiety and pain; she breathed shallowly through her nose.

"What do you want, _Bowser_?" she spat, lacing his word with as much hate and loathing as she could manage. Bowser only stretched his grin wider; he drew back and sat down, on a chair just out of Starlow's vision.

"What do I want? That's a good question, Starlow…" he repeated, putting his hands on his knees and leaning forwards, staring into space. "I'll tell you what I want. Peach-" Starlow's heart leapt at the name "-and for you to be punished,". Starlow's heart sank. Punished? In what way? If how he greeted her was anything to go by, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"What-" Starlow licked her lips, moistening them "-will the punishment be?" Bowser stood up and leaned over her again; Starlow held his gaze defiantly. He stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"Green eyes…_perfect_…" he said in obvious delight, pulling away and heading towards the door. He turned round at the foot of her bed.

"I'm going to try an experiment," he stated simply. Starlow's mind reeled. What?! _Did he just say…experiment?!_ She thought frantically.

"You – are – not – experimenting – on – _me_," she snarled, emphasising each word. Bowser just grinned again.

"Does it look like you have a choice?" he asked. Starlow had to admit he was right; she was utterly and completely at his mercy. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. When she opened them again they shone with defiance.

"I'll – I'll keep my mouth shut," she declared. Bowser laughed.

"Who said it was anything you needed to ingest?" he chuckled. And with that, he left. Starlow stared at the door, thinking about what he just said. So it wasn't anything she would need to ingest…they were experimenting on her as a punishment…she frowned, worry lines creasing her forehead.

_What on earth could he be planning_?

*

Peach looked left and right at each of the cells as she passed them, looking for Luigi. She became increasingly frustrated as she passed empty cell after empty cell.

_Where is he being held_? she thought irritably. Then she noticed the stairs leading another floor down. She stared at them for awhile; shrugging, she lightly hopped down them. She noticed a cell down the far end of the corridor she emerged onto; two people were in that cell. She gasped softly, running down the length of the corridor. Luigi turned round, hearing footsteps. When he saw the princess his jaw dropped. Fawful lay fast asleep, exhausted. Well, he's only a kid. Who's a genius…

"P-Peach?! What are you doing down here?!" he gasped in shock, staring at the panting princess. She was bent double, hands on her knees. She held up a hand.

"S…Starlow managed to set me free…" she wheezed, taking in great gulps of air. She wasn't accustomed to running. _I'm going to have to get used to it,_ she thought in amusement. Luigi broke into a smile; he reached through the bars and took her hand.

"Starlow? Is she alright?" he asked. When Peach didn't answer, a cold feeling of dread took him. "…Peach? What happened to Starlow?!" he asked frantically. Peach stood upright and gave him a pitying look.

"She…she got toasted by B-Bowser…" she said tremulously. Luigi's mind went into shock; no, it couldn't be. Starlow. _Starlow._ Burnt alive…what a way to go…Tears sprang to his eyes, but he angrily pushed them away. He took in two great, shuddering breaths, closing his eyes and slowing his heart rate. He opened them again. Fawful stirred behind him. He yawned, saying "What is the purpose of the racket?" He noticed Peach – this, amazingly, left him at a loss for words. He spluttered, then fell silent. Peach raised an eyebrow at him, and Luigi turned around to look at him.

"Wow. Cat finally got your tongue, eh, Fawful?" he chuckled. Fawful turned red with rage.

"What is this cat you speak of? And how is it having the grabbing of Fawful's tongue?" he asked angrily. Luigi laughed.

"It's just an expression for being tongue-tied, kid," he explained. Fawful opened his mouth to retaliate, but the appearance of Peach was still a shock to him. "Oh…" was all he said. Peach now _really_ stared at him.

"You really _are_ at a loss for words, aren't you?" she asked. Fawful just nodded, mute for once. Luigi turned back to Peach.

"Look, Peach…you gotta get us outta here," he implored. Peach widened her eyes at him.

"How? You're locked in…and I don't have the keys…" she explained, her mouth twisting into a frown. Fawful sighed in exasperation.

"Have the checking of the brick which is red," he said, pointing to a wall to the left of Peach. She turned and looked at the wall. There was a red brick in the middle of the wall, surrounded by the brown. She walked closer, inspecting it. She noticed it was a bit loose; worming her fingers into the brickwork, she wiggled it loose. It landed on the floor and broke in two. She peered into the hole left by it; behind where the brick was were a bunch of keys. She grabbed them and walked back to the door of the cell, holding them up for Fawful's inspection.

"These?" she asked incredulously.

"I am saying to you yes!" he chirruped happily. Luigi stared at him.

"You…knew they were there? W…why didn't you tell Starlow or Anna about it?! They could've let us out!" he exclaimed loudly. Fawful covered his ears.

"Be shutting up," he hissed. Luigi froze, his mouth still open. He slowly closed it. Meanwhile, Peach was trying each key in turn.

"Nope…not this one…not this one either…" she muttered to herself. Footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway; she froze. Voices floated down to them.

"Let's check down here, see if any Toads decided to hide," a male voice said. A troop of Koopa's emerged from the stairs, and spotted Peach. Luigi recognised the lead one as Bruce. Both parties stared at each other for a few seconds, then with a yell Bruce's troop charged down the narrow hallway. Peach yelped and turned back to the cell door, jamming a random key in. Praying, she twisted it.

The door swung open, and Luigi and Fawful ran out. Luigi's lip curled in defiance. He adopted a fighting stance.

"Get behind me, Peach…" he muttered to her. Peach didn't waste a second following his order. He noticed Fawful rummaging about in his cloak. The Beanish kid grinned and pulled out a miniature ray gun. Luigi's mouth hung open in shock.

"You asked Starlow for a ray gun…and you had that?!" he asked. Fawful just shrugged and took aim at the approaching troop. They stopped and grinned at him.

"Whatcha gonna do with that? Blow bubbles at us?" a Koopa to the left of Bruce chuckled. Fawful smirked.

"Would you have the saying of that after I am doing – THIS?" he exclaimed, firing. The ray zipped down the hallway, smashing into the Koopa's chest. He was flung backwards, head over heels, before cracking his head on a wall. He slumped down it, knocked out cold. The rest of the troop sent shocked looks at Fawful, who just smiled and twirled the ray gun, letting it hang loosely by his side. Luigi whistled.

"That gun has some serious firepower…" he said appreciatively. He turned to the troop, balling his hands into fists.

"Well then…shall we get started?" he asked. As if waiting for an invitation the rest of the troop charged, screeching war cries.

Luigi and Fawful just remained silent and ran to meet them.

**Looks like action next chapter! Yup, I'm trying to speed up the story a little here. Hope you liked this chappy (my favourite word **** ) and…REVIEW, PEOPLE!**


	10. We May Be In Trouble

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter ten of this story! It may have been a long wait, but AS levels really bog you down. Sorry for that.**

**Anyway, don't want to keep you waiting so...ROLL ON THE CHAPPY!**

**NOTE: The small fight? Yup, that has been updated. It was...weak, to say the least. So it's been improved.**

Luigi initiated the fight by lashing out with his left foot, but pulling it back at the last second and lashing out with his fist, catching a Koopa at the side of his head. He tottered a bit, then recovered his balance, deciding to forget Luigi and rush Fawful. One other Koopa decided to join him. Fawful calmly stared down the sight of his ray gun, and they stopped, eyeing him warily. Fawful grinned and fired, but the Koopa's ducked into their shell's, allowing the shot to pass harmlessly overhead. Fawful's eyes widened, and he ran back to the cell. The Koopa's grinned and followed him, tucking into their shells. They rapidly span round, creating a mini whirlwind in the small corridor. Fawful fired shot after shot into it, but they were just sucked into the whirlwind and spat out at a random angle. Luigi, Bruce and the other Koopa ducked and dived to dodge each ray; Peach just lay flat against the floor, praying to not be hit. She spied the red brick out of the corner of her vision, and picked it up. Straining against the whirlwind, she slowly crawled up to the two Koopa's...

Meanwhile, Luigi was facing off with Bruce (the other Koopa had not been so lucky in dodging and had met the rays head on; suffice to say he wasn't going to be waking up for a while). They both sunk into low crouches, snarls on their faces. Bruce growled at the plumber; Luigi simply launched himself at the Koopa, unleashing a flurry of blows. Bruce staggered back from the ferocity of the attack, but quickly regained his balance and lashed out with his foot, aiming for Luigi's shin. Luigi leapt up and flipped over, so he was upside down. He planted his feet on the ceiling and pushed off it, his fists in front of him. Bruce looked up just in time to get two fists to the face; he dropped, groaning with pain, with Luigi on top of him. The plumber quickly smashed his palm down on the Koopa's forehead, only to be stopped by Bruce's hand. Bruce grinned and bodily picked Luigi up. Luigi's pupils diluted in shock. _Woah, he's strong!_ he thought in slight admiration, but mainly fear. Bruce raised Luigi above his head and threw him down the length of the corridor, towards the whirlwind. Luigi flung his hands out, trying to grip the rough floor. All it earned him were some bad burns. He flailed about, trying to keep away from the whirlwind. He span round and held his hands out, towards the whirlwind. _If only I could push off one of those Koopa's..._ he thought grimly. Something flashed in the corner of his eye; he looked up, and his mouth opened slightly in shock. Peach was sailing through the air, _towards_ the whirlwind.

"PEACH!" he yelled, trying to reach for her instead. How she got the courage to do what she did next, Luigi would never know. Peach continued forwards, towards the whirlwind, and brought her right hand down hard on one of the Koopa's. Luigi heard a muffled thud, coupled with the sound of something crumbling. He was instantly showered with red dust; coughing, he shakily wiped it out of his eyes. The whirlwind dropped in intensity, and the Koopa Peach had struck lay on the floor, comatose. Luigi slowly got to his feet, only to yelp as he was dragged back by Bruce. Peach saw this and grabbed another brick; she started forwards, only to be forced to the ground as a heavy weight pressed into her back. She slammed downwards, wincing with the pain. She lifted her head just in time to see Fawful soaring above the whirlwind. She saw him take aim above the whirlwind and fire a single shot directly into it. She watched as the red ray whizzed round and round it, lower and lower. It suddenly disappeared, and Fawful landed on the other side, turning round. She heard a muffled screech and the whirliwind stopped abruptly. The Koopa shot upwards, his skull impacting with the ceiling. He moaned and landed, his eyes closing.

Meanwhile, Luigi was being dragged unceremoniously towards the stairs by a _very_ angry Bruce. He tried to grab the Koopa's hand, but couldn't twist round far enough. He looked down the corridor at the other two. He saw Fawful take aim, and closed his eyes. The ray flew down the corridor and impacted on the back of Bruce's skull; the Koopa froze for a second before toppling forwards, landing with a crash. Luigi rolled over and lifted himself up on his hands, breathing deeply. He looked over at the two Koopa's who had created the whirlwind.

"Well, I didn't know Koopa's could spin _that_ fast" he chuckled. He walked towards the others and held out a hand towards Peach. She took it, and her mind was immediately flooded with memories of Mario. Luigi's hand was so similar to his brother's, she closed her eyes and tried to picture Mario. She could remember the first time he had rescued her. He had been so polite back then…

"_W-What?! How can a portly plumber beat ME?! The Koopa Ki-" Bowser was cut off by the lava, and he sunk down into it, gurgling. Mario stared at the spot where he had sunk, watching the bubbles. He threw the hammer he had used to cut the rope holding the bridge into the bubbles. His face betrayed no emotion, and the bubbles stopped. He turned around and walked to a pink princess behind him. _So this is the princess all those fungus freaks were blabbering about…_ he thought. His eyes widened slightly – she was _human_. Like himself. How had she become the princess of this place? Peach blushed under his startled gaze._

"_Th-Thank you for rescuing me," she said, getting up from her position on the floor. Mario just continued to stare at her, his mouth opening and closing. She giggled at how adorable he looked, but was confused herself. Here was another human, like herself – the only human she had seen since God knew when. How had he got here? Had he been living in another kingdom? Perhaps the Beanbean Kingdom? No, she would've heard from them…so from where, then, had this man arrived from? Mario finally seemed to find his voice._

"_No…no need to thank me, Princess. The pleasure is all mine," he said politely, bowing low. Peach blushed again, and motioned for him to stand upright. Mario did so, still staring at her._

"_No need to bow to me, Mario…" she sighed, staring out of a window across the Dark Lands. Mario walked forwards until he was just a couple of paces behind her. She heard him clear his throat._

"_Um…Princess? May I ask-" Peach held up a hand and turned to face him, an exasperated look on her face._

"_Could you please just call me Peach? I've had enough of the 'Princess' malarkey ever since I was born…" she explained. Mario blushed, embarassed, and bowed again._

"_Of course, Peach…" he agreed. Peach sighed again._

"_And the bowing?" Mario grinned and straightened up._

"_Of course,"_

Peach sighed happily. _Oh, Mario…_ she thought, reminiscing. She hardly noticed they were at the base of the stairs. Meanwhile, Luigi and Fawful were discussing a plan in low, urgent tones. Peach paid them no heed, staring dreamily at the ground.

"…Right. We sneak up to the main gate and make a break for it. That seems to be the best tactic," Luigi sighed. Fawful rolled his eyes.

"That is being the best plan? Fine-ing…" he muttered to himself, walking off. Luigi grabbed his shoulder.

"Eh…Fawful? You're not the sneakiest of people…just follow me, OK?" Luigi suggested. Fawful just 'hmphed' and turned back, situating himself behind Luigi. Luigi settled into a crouch and started forward; remembering somebody, he turned back.

"Umm...Peach?" he asked the dreamy princess, snapping her out of her memories. She shook herself and looked at Luigi.

"Hmm? Oh, Luigi. What is it?" she asked. Luigi frowned at her. _She was thinking of my brother..._ he realised. He grinned at this thought, and Peach gave him a quizzical look.

"What's so funny?" she inquired. Luigi just shook his head, turning back round.

"It's nothing...OK, Peach. We've gotta get outta here," he explained. Peach rolled her eyes at his back. _As if I didn't already know that, _she thought. Then she thought of someone else.

"Luigi? What about Starlow?" she asked hesitantly. Luigi froze, then slowly turned to her.

"Starlow? But...you saw her burnt alive..." he said slowly. His expression darkened slightly. "Peach, are you keeping something from me?" he demanded. Peach looked shocked.

"W-what?! No! I _did_ see her burnt alive, but...you remember the infirmary we took her to the day after she transformed?" Peach asked. Luigi nodded slowly, thinking back.

"Yeah...she seemed to have some control over her star power...but not total control..." he muttered to himself. Peach nodded frantically.

"Yes, that's it! It seems that the human body is not..._compatible_, for lack of a better word, with star power. It's...limied her in some way," Peach explained. Luigi's mouth opened in shock.

"So - what you're trying to get at - is that her star power may have manifested itself and protected her?" he said, his voice rising in excitement. Peach nodded, catching his infectious mood. A broad smile spread across the green plumber's face, and he opened his mouth...

"Do not be screaming with the feelings of exultation!" Fawful hissed. Luigi paused, then grinned at the Beanish kid.

"You're right. We need to be quiet," he agreed. He shared a quick smile with Peach before turning back to the stairs.

"We've gotta get outta here-" he started, but was interrupted by the Koopa's groaning behind him. He turned round, sighing exasperatedly. They were massaging their heads, moaning quietly with pain. Bruce looked left, and saw the trio. He balled his hands into fists.

"HEY! You're not goin' anywhere!" he shouted defiantly. Luigi grinned at him.

"What? You gonna stop us?" he asked. Bruce just glared at him, as did the rest of the troop. They slowly got up, shaking themselves. Then, with a shout of defiance, they charged. Luigi sighed, shaking his head.

"Let's just run," he suggested. Fawful and Peach nodded. They turned and fled up the stairs, the troop hot on their heels. They flew into the corridor, taking a sharp left. Luigi noticed this corridor looked quite charred. _This must be where Starlow got burned..._ he thought angrily. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder; the troop were falling behind a bit. He grinned and turned sharply to the right, Fawful and Peach right next to him. He noticed a door up ahead...

"In here!" he called, barreling into the door shoulder first. It swung open and hit the wall. The room was in pitch black, but without stopping he ran inside; Fawful followed him, and Peach followed soon thereafter. She closed the door and flattened herself against the wall; Luigi crouched next to her, as did Fawful. They heard the troop running past, and continued to listen as their feet echoed into the distance. It was silent in the room for a few seconds, then Luigi let out the breath he'd been holding; two other breaths told him the others had been holding theirs too. He straightened up.

"Thank God..." he said aloud. Peach blinked in the darkness.

"Is there a light switch in here?" she asked, running her hands along the wall. She found what felt like a lever.

"Ah, here we are!" she declared, pulling it down. Lights hummed in the overhead lamps before clicking on, dazzling them. They all blinked for a couple of seconds to get used to the sudden light change, then gazed around them. For the second time in so many minutes, Luigi's mouth opened in shock. All around them were rows upon rows of every type of item imaginable. Fire Flowers. Tanooki Suits. Super Leafs. And in a corner were a pile of each type of flower, with a notice above them - _Under Investigation_. Luigi's mouth slowly stretched into a grin.

"Jackpot..." he whispered to himself. He noticed a sign on the door - _Supply Room_. His grin stretched wider; meanwhile, Peach was in awe.

"Wow...Bowser sure likes to stock a lot of weapons..." she said slowly. Luigi moved forward and started stuffing everything he could reach into his pockets. Suoer Leafs. Tanooki Suits. Fire Flowers. These and many more went into his pocket and, when they were full, he absorbed a Fire Flower, turning his overalls into the classic Fire Luigi suit. He grinned, flicking a quick fireball. It bounced twice before hitting a wall, charring it slightly. He flexed his hands.

"Still got it," he chuckled. Meanwhile Fawful was exploring the room. He came across another lever.

"What is being the purpose of this lever?" he mused to himself. Shrugging, he pulled it downwards. Luigi and Peach started when they heard it click into place. Luigi whipped round.

"Fawful! Don't pull every - oh crap..." he ended on a whisper, staring at the back wall. Peach and Fawful followed his gaze - and their pupils dilated in shock. The wall had slid upwards to reveal a _huge_ number of minions, with Bowser addressing them. Fortunately, they were behind the Koopa King, but murmurs soon started flying around the room. One Goomba decided to speak up.

"Uh...Your Awesomeness? You...may want to like behind you..." he suggested. Bowser glared at him.

"How dare you address - wait. I hear...gears. Moving..." he whipped around, and spotted the trio. His eyes widened in shock, then he grinned maliciously.

"Luigi!" he said pleasantly, fixating the plumber with a sadistic grin. "How'd you get there?" Luigi grinned at him.

"Should keep us under more guard, Bowser!" he called back mockingly. Bowser's expression darkened for a second, but then he was back with the sadistic grin.

"Well, it seems that this is the end of the road for you, my dear cowardly plumber," he continued in his pleasant tone. Luigi bristled at the insult.

"Come and fight me then!" he challenged. Bowser's grin stretched wider - he turned back and walked down the side of the minions, coming to a stop at the door in the back of the room. Luigi craned his neck and shaded his eyes, staring at the tiny Koopa King.

"I'm sure my army will more than take care of you," Bowser shouted. He opened the door and slipped through; Luigi heard the click of a lock. He growled, walking forwards. The other two followed him, and Fawful drew out his ray gun. As soon as they cleared the wall it slid shut again, locking them in the room with the army. Luigi whirled round in shock, facing the wall. He patted it all over, but he couldn't make it open again. He slowly turned around, back to the smug minions.

"Well, this'lll be easy..." a Shy Guy muttered. Then, with a roar, the army charged. Luigi gulped and leapt up high, raining fireballs down on the army before landing in the thick of it.

_We may not get out of this castle alive,_ he realised.

**Yay! Another fight! I was looking forward to this scene. Luigi, Fawful and Peach - I'm guessing those three have never been in a group before, have they? Time to come up with some interesting moves for the EPIC BATTLE OF PWNAGE. Don't worry, this won't take long. I love writing massive fights. Allows you to be less finite in the details, if you get my meaning. Also allows you to show off really epic moves...:P**

**XD**

**Anyway, enough chitchat. Hope this was worth the wait, and yes, I know Starlow was curiously absent in this chapter. Don't worry, she'll be back soon...**

**Anyway, REVIEW, PEOPLE XD**


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